Sheppey United made another new signing on Tuesday as the rebuild continues.

The Ites are just over a week away from their season opener against Three Bridges and things are coming together slowly but surely.

Assistant boss Geoff Record says it’s been a process where fans, and themselves, have had to be patient.

He said: “When you’re rebuilding, we haven’t got the budget to go ‘bang, that’s a rebuild done in a few weeks’. Our rebuilding takes time.

“It’s a bit of a slow process and we are trying to add to it as we go along. Everyone has to be a bit patient.

“I spoke to a guy about it in town this week and it made me think back to the time when I was Herne Bay manager. I had taken over from Tommy Sampson. He took every player, there was just one left, and the only reason he stayed was that he was on contract.

“So, I have a bit of a background in these rebuilding jobs and they are very hard unless you have got an extraordinary amount of money to do it quickly.

“We have the basis of things all right and we just need to make it a little bit better.

“Of course, new arrivals raise the confidence levels of everyone.”

Midfielder Jordy Ndozid has played for plenty of teams at Sheppey’s level and joins after featuring in their last three pre-season games.

Record said: “It’s great to see Jordy has committed to us. He has done well in his early pre-season games.

“He will bring a great competitive spirit to our midfield and he has shown very good positional play. I am sure our supporters will enjoy watching Jordy play.

The Ites will take on a side comprising their under-18s and 23s this Friday at 7.45pm. It’s free entry for all.

Record has been impressed with some of the young players who have been stepping up for the first team.

He said: “I have been really pleased that we have been able to get a couple of young players in, that’s always refreshing.

“I think if Harrison McCall carries on learning, at 17-years-old, he has a bit of a future ahead of him and a bit of a surprise is 18-year-old Harry Hogben, who has done very well. He’s a midfield player and a big, strong lad who passes the ball pretty well.”

Sheppey played Gillingham’s under-18s last Friday in a game that finished 1-1.

Defender Sinn’Kaye Christie headed in a Jacob Lambert set-piece for the Ites but a rare giveaway at the back from Lekan Majoyegbe let the Gills in to score.

Record said: “It was a young Gillingham side but they could all play and it was a good test for us.

“For an hour we came out of it pretty well, we must have had half a dozen crosses that we just couldn’t get on the end of.

“Sinks scored from a lovely free-kick off Jacob but the Gills goal came after Lekan unfortunately gave it away and three seconds later they scored.

“He only makes two mistakes a year so at least that’s one out of the way!”

Looking to this Friday, Record added: “I am looking forward to that because we have some promising 23s and 18s and that will be a good experience for them.”

Sheppey’s first league game of the season, away to Three Bridges next Saturday, August 10, will take place at Chatham Town’s Bauvill Stadium.

The West Sussex side have agreed a groundshare deal with Chatham while their own pitch has a 3G surface installed. The arrangement is expected to be in place until the winter.